Forms for creating structural supports, such as concrete beams or joists, have been known for some time. However, there are many steps involved in building the form assembly and many difficulties to overcome before achieving the end result of a structural support of predetermined size.
When a construction project requiring form assemblies is undertaken, the forms are assembled and connected, and a moldable forming composition, such as concrete, is poured over top of the form assembly. In cases where the support structures being created are used in combination with a slab, the length of the slab usually dictates the length of support beams. A form assembly for molding a structural support must be held firmly in place to resist the pressure provided by the moldable forming composition used to create the support, and the form assembly must be capable of maintaining the predetermined shape of the support. The form segments are generally held in place by a frame assembly that must be built on site.
Creating an assembly of the right size and shape can be challenging, especially if the structure is of a length or height requiring multiple form sections to be secured end-to-end and/or stacked in order to obtain the desired length and height. Further, in a single construction project such as constructing a building, slabs, beams and joists of many different sizes are often needed to complete the project. Thus, an effective form assembly of adjustable size is needed for molding structural supports.